For my master’s thesis I’ve been looking into infrared (IR) imagery (IR security cameras and the like). IR light basically is ‘invisible light’, that humans can’t see, but cameras can. While browsing the web, I came across some really cool photos people took with their DSLRs using a filter that blocks normal light and only lets through IR light. Wanting to experiment with this myself, I recently bought the cheapest 720nm IR filter I could find on eBay (about €15,-) and took it to the park on a sunny afternoon.
I really like the surreal and ethereal look IR photography gives, so I’ll probably play with it some more in the near future. Although I don’t think I will take out my camera’s built-in IR-blocking filter anytime soon…
Incidentally, you can actually see IR light yourself. Your eyes are just much more sensitive to ‘regular’ light. If you’ve got an IR filter, shield your eyes to block any normal daylight and look through the filter. After your eye has adjusted to the relative darkness, you should be able to see white trees and plants on sunny days. Pretty cool!